A Second Chance
by bruingcl8
Summary: All hope was lost. Hermione knew that the only way to have a future, was to journey to the past.
1. Chapter 1

It was over. After everything that had happened since her first day at Hogwarts, she wasn't prepared for it to end like this. Aren't happy endings always a guarantee? The Battle of Hogwarts had raged for hours but now, in an instant, it was over. Bodies lay around her as she gazed across the Great Hall. Harry lay at Voldemort's feet, eyes wide but unseeing. The light in his eyes that gave hope to all fighting the Dark Lord were gone. Hermione knew without seeing that Ron was gone as well. Her two best friends, taken from her. Who knew how many members of the Order had survived. Were Lupin and Tonks still fighting side by side or had they been taken from this world to leave an orphaned son behind? Without meaning to, tears began to stream down her face as she pictured all of her loved ones dead on the cold hard ground.

As Death Eaters continued to roam the grounds for the resistance, Hermione remained in her hiding spot, unsure of what to do. Part of her knew that she should run, but she was numb. After all the struggles the trio had been through, she had finally lost all hope for the future. Reaching into her pocket, she knew it was time.

While Hermione had been in the Room of Requirement, searching for the diadem, she had stumbled upon a time turner hanging around the neck of a mannequin. How had it gotten there? For all she knew the time turners were all kept, and later destroyed, when they had battled Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic during her fifth year. Out of curiosity, Hermione had snatched the time turner and placed it in her pocket to research later.

Now as she sat behind a broken pillar, blood dripping down her face from a gash on her head and her entire body covered in bruises, Hermione now understood what she had to do. Time travel was extremely difficult and risky, but staying in the present was no longer an option. With her parents, best friends, and hundreds of others gone, Hermione needed an escape. She knew that she was being selfish in a way, but she also saw this as a chance to change the future. Stopping Voldemort before his gruesome victory was the only way to save the wizarding world and her loved ones.

Slowly taking the time turner out of her pocket, Hermione gazed into the sand filled time turner. Unlike the one she had owned in her third year, this time turner was different. The coloring and design were more intricate. Having done research on time travel in her third year, Hermione instantly recognized the one in her hand as an object that dealt with larger portions of time. It measured in years instead of hours. After further contemplation, Hermione chose a year she believed would give her the best opportunity to stop Voldemort and perhaps, if she played her cards right, become friends with the exact people she knew she needed to defeat the Dark Lord. With one last deep breath, Hermione began to turn the time turner over and over. When she reached the desired year, Hermione allowed herself a small, fleeting smile before her vision went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hermione will be dealing with Lord Voldemort and his followers, however there are no horcruxes in this story.

Disclaimer: I sadly own nothing.

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**A Gryffindor Once Again**

Pain, that's all Hermione could feel. She wasn't sure if she had made it to where she needed to be but at least she wasn't dead. A sense of terror overwhelmed her when she thought about how she could have accidentally gone back hundreds of year. Slowly, Hermione began to open her eyes. Blurry images swam in front of her. It appeared that she was in a bed and a group of people were staring down at her.

"Is she dead? Ow, what was that for?" said a masculine voice on her right.

"Of course she's not dead and she can probably hear you!" replied a soft voice.

"Alright you lot, out of my way, out of way!" screeched a young woman, Hermione assumed was the one taking care of her.

With a last ditch effort, Hermione opened her eyes and gazed around. With a jolt, Hermione instantly recognized the group of people around her. She felt both happy that she was safe and overwhelmed. She was way in over her head. One of the young men was tall with black hair down to his chin and silver eyes. Despite her condition, she felt a small blush creep up her cheeks as his eyes bore into hers. On his left, a tall yet skinny boy was gazing at her with worry. His face was pale but kind. As Hermione's eyes shifted to the other side of the bed she felt a surge of emotion. Harry was gazing down at her, with confusion in his eyes. A second later Hermione understood, the young man was a spiting image of Harry but did not have his green eyes. This was his father, James Potter as a 17 year old. Suppressing her feelings, Hermione began to plan how she would deal with the fact that a young Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter continued to stare down at her while a much Younger Madam Pomfrey was tending to her head.

Finally after much thought, Hermione mumbled, "No I'm not dead, but it feels like I should be."

They were all surprised by the sound of her voice but Madam Pomfrey recovered quickly.

"You poor dear, I will get you a potion straight away. I have healed the gash in your head and treated the worst of your bruises," said Pomfrey as she exited the room.

"Thank you," Hermione murmured.

"So, who the hell are you and why did you fall out of the sky?" Sirius asked bluntly.

"Sirius!" exclaimed Remus. James shot is friend a dirty look, but seemed just as eager to hear the answer.

"To answer your first question, my name is Hermione Granger, as for the second question, I can't answer."

"You can't answer or you won't answer?" Sirius asked. Hermione shot him a look of annoyance.

"Even if I could answer the question, who the hell are you?" Hermione snapped, even though she knew exactly who he was. Sirius looked taken aback, clearly not used to being spoken to like that, especially from a girl.

"My name is Sirius Black, love. No need to get testy."

"Sirius, she just fell out of the sky, leave her alone. My name is Remus and this is James," stated Remus.

Hermione understood why Sirius was so curious, it wasn't everyday a 17 year old, bushy haired girl fell out of the sky but she didn't know how to answer without explaining everything. The first thing Hermione needed was Professor Dumbledore. Despite the risk of disrupting the future, she had to tell him everything and seek his advice on what to do.

"I would like to speak with Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said as Pomfrey returned to the room with the potion.

"I have already sent for him and he is on his way," said Pomfrey as she handed Hermione the medicine.

As if on cue, Dumbledore entered the room. He looked much younger than Hermione remembered, but his blue eyes still held the same twinkle. "Good evening, you must be the young woman who miraculously fell from the sky," said Dumbledore lightly as he walked over to Hermione's bedside.

"Hello Professor, my name is Hermione Granger. I was wondering if we could speak in private," said Hermione. Dumbledore appeared slightly surprised at her bluntness but smiled and nodded.

"Of course, if you would excuse us, gentlemen. Thank you again Madam Pomfrey," said Dumbledore as he ushered the boys out of the room.

"Now Ms. Granger, you have my full attention," said Dumbledore as he sat down in a chair next to her bed.

Suddenly, Hermione became extremely nervous. What if he didn't believe her? Hermione knew Dumbledore was a trusting man, but her story was outlandish. Despite her fear, Hermione cleared her throat and began.

"Professor, as I stated before, my name is Hermione and I have quite a story to tell you. I will begin by stating that despite the risk, it is necessary for me to inform you that I am from the future. 1998 to be exact. I have come back to the past in order to change a future that has lost all hope."

Hermione saw the look of surprise and confusion in Dumbledore's eyes but he simply nodded and said, "Please explain."

With that, Hermione told Dumbledore everything from her first year at Hogwarts to her decision to go back in time during the Battle of Hogwarts. He never tried to interrupt her and hardly reacted when she told him about the Battle of Hogwarts. After she was finished, Dumbledore sat quietly, clearly deep in thought.

After what seemed like hours, Dumbledore turned to Hermione. "I believe everything you have said Ms. Granger and I believe despite the risk, you have made the correct decision of coming back to the past. However, we must be careful with how we proceed. To start with, I believe the best option for you would be to remain at Hogwarts and continue your schooling. As the term has just started, it will be easy for you to start your classes. You stated that you were a Gryffindor in the future?"

Hermione nodded, trying desperately not to start crying as she pictured Gryffindor tower filled with all of her old friends that were now gone.

"Very well, you will remain in Gryffindor and enter into your 7th year here at Hogwarts. As for your time travel, it would be wise not to speak to anyone about it and proceed with your time here as well as you can. I will think over this matter and would like to speak with you again when you are feeling better. It is pertinent that we make an effort to prevent Voldemort from gaining power as best we can."

"Thank you, Professor. It will be difficult, but I believe with your help and the help of certain Gryffindors, I will be able to fit in," said Hermione. She knew there was much more she had to discuss with Dumbledore about Voldemort and his followers, but she was exhausted, and knew she needed to plan on the details that she would share with him. She couldn't simply tell Dumbledore that half of the Slytherin House was currently full of future Death Eaters. She had to be very cautious.

Seeing the exhaustion that had overcome the young woman, Dumbledore smiled and began to stand. "You will remain here tonight. We will move you into your dormitory tomorrow. I will also send for all your required books, equipment and uniforms so you may begin class on Monday. Rest well, Ms. Granger."

With that, Dumbledore exited the infirmary. Hermione could not help but think that her meeting with Dumbledore had gone better than expected. She had told him everything about her life, but she had not told him about her plan to change the future. She knew meddling with time could do more harm than good but she was damn well going to try. Even if Hermione could never return to the future, she would make sure that her loved ones would have one.

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As Sirius, James and Remus sat around the fire in the common room, they continued to debate who Hermione was and why she was here.

"Maybe she was attacked and apparated here," said James.

"You can't apparate inside Hogwarts grounds, James. Maybe she was on a broom and we didn't see it when she fell," said Remus.

"No way, I was looking up at the sky when she just appeared out of nowhere," interjected Sirius.

"The look on your face was priceless," said James, laughing at Sirius. "I thought you had shit your pants."

"Shut up, Prongs, you didn't have a random human practically land on your head. She could've damaged my beautiful face!" said Sirius.

Remus and James both rolled their eyes at Sirius and continued to ponder how this girl had come crashing into their lives.

No matter what he did, Sirius could not get her face out of his head. When she had snapped back at his questions in the infirmary, he knew she was a feisty one. What the hell is wrong with me? The girl wasn't overly attractive but she had a sort of spark that Sirius was drawn to. Great, Sirius thought, I'm falling for a girl I met an hour ago. Sirius didn't know if this was a sign from above or if the cosmos were just laughing at him. Sighing audibly, Sirius left the common room and headed to bed. His last thought before falling asleep was that he would find out everything about her, no matter how long it took.

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Thanks for reading! ~Chels


	3. Chapter 3

**Sadly, I still own nothing. Enjoy!**

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**New Friends and Enemies**

The following morning Hermione woke up with a start. It took her a few moments before everything that had happened rushed back to her, taking her breath away. After a few minutes of deep breathing, she was able to relax enough to begin thinking about her position. I am the smartest witch of my age, she thought, I can figure this out! Hermione decided that the best way to handle her current situation was to take it day by day and continue to discuss her future with Dumbledore.

Hermione began to wonder when she could leave the infirmary and begin to meet her fellow Gryffindors. As if on cue, Pomfrey entered the infirmary to give Hermione her final check up.

"You will be sore for a few more days, but your bruises and the gash on your head have healed nicely. I recommend that you continue to rest as much as possible. Dumbledore has sent a student here to help you back to Gryffindor tower and to get you settled," said Pomfrey.

"Thank you," said Hermione.

A few minutes later, a Gryffindor student walked into the infirmary. She was tall, with long dark red hair and gorgeous emerald eyes. Hermione had to choke back a sob as she was looking directly into Harry's eyes. Of all the students in Gryffindor, Dumbledore had sent her best friend's mother to help her. With as much courage as she could muster, Hermione placed a small smile on her face as the girl walked over to her bed.

"Hi, you must be Hermione Granger, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lily Evans and I'm a seventh year Gryffindor. Dumbledore has asked me to help you get settled in. I have brought you some clothes. Are you okay to walk back to the tower?" said Lily softly. Hermione could already tell where Harry got his personality from.

"It's nice to meet you too, and yes, I am ready to get out of here," said Hermione earnestly as she began to stand up and put on the jeans and sweater Lily had brought her.

After changing and thanking Madam Pomfrey one last time, Lily and Hermione headed for the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was surprised little had changed about the castle and pretended to listen as Lily explained all of the halls and passageways. The only difference that Hermione had noticed were a few paintings that she did not recognize. Hermione and Lily soon found themselves outside of the common room, staring at the Fat Lady, who had changed very little over the years.

"Password?" she asked sweetly. "Ton Tongue Toffee," Lily stated as they walked into the common room.

Like the castle, the common room looked almost identical to the common room during her time, but the feeling of being here without her best friends was overwhelming. Without meaning to, tears began to pour down Hermione's cheeks before she could stop herself. Flustered, Lily asked Hermione if she was okay.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I was just feeling overwhelmed. Everything that happened last night. Nothing to worry about," said Hermione. Lily looked unconvinced but nodded her head as they began to climb the stairs up to the girl's dormitory.

"You will be staying with myself and Charlie," said Lily as she opened the second door on the left.

As Hermione walked in, a small genuine smile appeared on her face as she gazed at a room so similar to her own back in her own time. As she scanned the room, a girl with short black hair was staring at her in surprise. As she overcame her initial shock at seeing her new roommate, the black haired girl climbed off the bed and walked over to the two girls. Hermione saw that she was small but extremely athletic.

"Hey Charlie, this is Hermione, our new roommate," said Lily happily.

"Nice to meet you, Hermione. Lily has told me a lot about you and how you almost fell on top of Sirius Black, shame that you didn't hit him," said Charlie while gazing at Hermione curiously. Clearly Lily had already told her how she had fallen out of the sky and nearly hit the Gryffindor bad boy.

"I agree, with an ego like that, a knock on the head might have been beneficial," said Hermione casually. Charlie stared at Hermione in surprise but soon started laughing. She knew that she would easily get along with this girl.

After showing Hermione all of her new clothes and equipment, the girls headed down to the Great Hall for lunch.

"So you said that you don't remember anything that happened?" asked Charlie curiously.

"Not much, all I know is that someone attacked my home, killing my parents before I managed to escape. The last thing I remember is focusing on a safe place and I landed at Hogwarts," said Hermione quickly, having thought up this story when she had awoken in the infirmary.

Hermione knew that one day she would have to tell a few of her close friends the truth, but she wasn't sure who she could trust. Having suffered for so many years and seen betrayal, she had become very cautious.

As the girls walked in to the Great Hall, they sat down exactly where herself, Ron and Harry had always sat. Pushing the thought out of her mind, Hermione began to pile eggs and bacon on her plate, suddenly starving and in need of a solid meal. Feeling better as she ate, the girls began to discuss their classes.

"I absolutely love transfiguration and arithmancy," said Hermione excitedly. She hadn't realized how much she had missed class because of her focus on Harry and Voldemort. Now that she was back, she was absolutely giddy.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Those are the two hardest classes,"said Charlie as she buttered her bread.

"Ignore her," said Lily, "The only class she enjoys is Defense Against the Dark Arts because she gets to hex people."

"It's a gift. Oh look Lily, your favorite man and his faithful sidekicks are here," said Charlie as she gazed at the entrance to the Great Hall

"Lily-flower, you look absolutely beautiful today," yelled James as the boys sat down, completely surrounding the three girls.

"It is way too early for this shit," Lily muttered as Charlie snorted into her oatmeal.

"My dear Lily, it is never too early to compliment a beautiful women," said James cheerfully.

Rolling her eyes, Lily decided to drop it and continue talking with Charlie.

"Well well well, good morning Ms. Granger, I hope you are feeling much better. Just so you know, I have completely forgiven you for almost landing on my perfect face," stated Sirius as he gazed across the table at her.

"How kind of you, I was up all night thinking about how I had almost hurt the biggest tool in Gryffindor," Hermione replied sweetly with a huge smile on her face. The others burst into laughter at the look on Sirius' face. This was the second time she had gotten the better of him in the past 24 hours.

"Looks like you may have met your match, Padfoot," said Remus softly. With a snort, Sirius ignored Remus' comment and began pilling obscene amounts of food onto his plate.

The rest of breakfast was spent with the girls talking about classes and the Marauders discussing future pranks. Looking around, Hermione couldn't believe that she was already becoming friends with the very people she needed to help her through her last year of Hogwarts, and eventually to defeat Voldemort.

Hermione and her roommates soon fell into a routine of studying, classes, and hanging out with the Marauders. Lily, to Hermione's amusement, continued to pretend that she hated James, but Hermione could see that facade slowly slipping. Remus was more soft spoken and reserved than Hermione remembered in her time, but they got along well. She often found Remus in the library with her late into the night. Charlie and Lily were like her best friends already. Hermione often felt guilty at how quickly she had made new friends, but tried to remind herself that she was doing this for her friends future and for the greater good. Why couldn't she also be happy? Sirius continued to act like a git but had become more friendly in his teasing. Hermione couldn't help but blush when he spoke to her directly and had to remind herself that was Harry's godfather. It was becoming increasingly difficult when he gazed at her with his piercing grey eyes.

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As Hermione was walking back to the common room one night, she couldn't believe that it had already been almost a month since she had come to Hogwarts. It seemed everything had fallen into place, almost as if it had been planned. She had spoken with Dumbledore a few times over the past weeks but they had both agreed to continue with her made up story of how she had gotten to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was still unsure of how to defeat Voldemort, but he had informed Hermione that the Dark Lord was gaining power. Large numbers of people had been reported missing and mysterious attacks and explosions were occurring all over Britain.

With all of these thoughts flying around her head, Hermione hadn't realized that she had taken a wrong turn. Stopping, she turned and began to back track. She had almost reached the correct hallway when she heard footsteps behind her. As they grew louder, Hermione spun around to find three large Slytherins smirking at her.

"Well if it isn't the new Mudblood Princess. It appears you have already settled in and become friends with the famous Mudbloods and blood traitors in Gryffindor," said the tallest boy in the middle as he walked towards her menacingly.

"I don't have time for this, why don't you and your loser buddies go find some other girl to annoy?" said Hermione staring directly at him, trying to appear brave.

Hermione had dealt with Voldemort himself, but for some reason these boys made her nervous. Perhaps it was because she feared battle. After all the pain and death she had seen, Hermione did not know if she could lift her wand again to protect herself.

"Your Gryffindor pride will get you nowhere, Mudblood. Now boys, what should we do with her to make her feel welcome? She is awfully pretty despite her dirty blood," said the tall boy who was now only a foot away. The two boys behind him began to chuckle darkly and move closer.

And for the first time in a long time, Hermione froze in terror as the Slytherins continued to move closer.

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**Thanks for reading and also thank you to those who reviewed! Great motivation to continue. ~Chels **


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